


Snapshots

by Bubbly_Kandy



Category: Batman - All Media Types
Genre: Dad Bruce Wayne, Dick being a little brother, Dick purrs and you can't take that out of my cold dead hands, scraped knees
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-07
Updated: 2018-11-07
Packaged: 2019-08-20 06:41:32
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,948
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16550858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bubbly_Kandy/pseuds/Bubbly_Kandy
Summary: “Ow,” he says, his lower lip sticking out in a small pout because now Dick is a little brother, and he's concerned about any wrongdoings that happen to his siblings.(A gift for Ionaperidot!)





	Snapshots

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ionaperidot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ionaperidot/gifts).
  * Inspired by [Robins and Other Flightless Birds](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15607170) by [Ionaperidot](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ionaperidot/pseuds/Ionaperidot). 



It was a boring day. Cass was in her room after asking Alfred to bring her to the library to get her some books to read and dissect; Dick was staying close to either Tim or Bruce, trying to not fall asleep; Jason was down in the BatCave, and Damian is… somewhere. (Bruce tries to not think too much into where ‘somewhere’ is, since Damian seemed to enjoy being alone.)

Tim is slightly hungover, after sneaking a few glasses of champagne from Bruce yesterday night, because Tim is just that kind of teenager. Even his first day of being hungover isn't enough to teach him a lesson, it seems.

This leads to him tripping over a bump in the carpet, scraping his knee enough to make it bleed a little. Dick had watched the whole thing happen, running to the kitchen and tugging on Bruce's shirt until he followed him into the living room, where Tim was sitting on the floor, looking a little stunned.

Dick points accusingly at Tim’s bleeding knee, like it had just severely insulted him in some way. “Ow,” he says, his lower lip sticking out in a small pout because now Dick is a little brother, and he's concerned about any wrongdoings that happen to his siblings.

“I’m fine,” Tim replies, standing and bracing himself on the nearest object, which happened to be Jason. “Thanks Jase,” Tim said once he found his balance, Jason walking away quietly after Tim took his hand off his shoulder.

“Ow,” Dick said again, still pointing at the injured knee. “Timmy is… ow.”

“It doesn’t hurt that much,” Tim says to Bruce, walking towards him with a normal gait. “I’ll just need to wash it, maybe a Band-Aid…”

“I’ll get them for you,” Bruce says quickly, Tim looking at him oddly but shrugging, going to sit down on a chair. Dick scampers over to Tim, plopping himself beside Tim’s legs and leaning against them, much like an affectionate puppy. “Are you okay with him?”

“Ah-” Tim looks uncomfortable at Dick’s blatant show of affection, causing him to get Dick’s attention by tapping the top of his head, waiting until Dick looks up at him again to start speaking. “You wanna go with B? He can teach you how to fix… ow’s.” Tim visibly grimaced at the strange wording, but Dick jumped up excitedly, running back over to Bruce and standing close to his side.

“I’ll be right back,” Bruce tells Tim, the boy waving the two off with his hand before picking up a book that was on the side table next to him. Bruce begins walking, Dick almost stepping on his heels the whole way until they get to the medicine cabinet, Dick pushing himself up off his feet by bracing his hands on the platform that jutted out beneath the cabinet. Bruce opens the cabinet, and he could feel Dick’s intense look as he watched Bruce take Neosporin and Band-Aids off the shelves.

“What are those?” Dick asks, his words pronounced slowly and steadily. Bruce gives him the Neosporin tube, Dick running his hands over it curiously.

“That’s something to help Tim’s knee heal faster,” Bruce explains, watching Dick closely so that he could stop him from putting the tube in his mouth, something that he enjoyed doing to various objects during the past week. “Don’t eat it- it’s yucky.”  
  
“Good for Tim, bad to eat?” Dick asks, Bruce nodding and humming in affirmative.

“Exactly, Dickie.”

“And those?” Dick asks next, looking at the box of Band-Aids. Bruce closes the cabinet, letting Dick carry the Neosporin back to the other room.

 “These just keep out any bad germs that could infect Tim’s knee,” Bruce explains, Dick staring at the Band-Aids in astonishment.

 “And these… good for Tim, bad for Dickie?”

 “What?” Bruce asks, opening the door to the other room, where Tim was reading _Jane Eyre,_ his mouth beginning to creep up in it’s unnatural smile. He looked up at the two, following Bruce’s look and looking at Dick, who was beginning to talk.

 “You say Ne-Oh-Spo-In good for Tim, Band-Aids good for Tim,’” Dick explains, using the Neosporin tube to wave around. “So, are they good for Tim, bad for Dickie?”

 “They’re good for everyone, Dick,” Tim says, Dick sitting in front of Tim, watching as Bruce sat beside him. “Since I’m the one that’s hurt, I need to use them, but if you scrape your knee like I did, then _you_ can use them.”

 “Ohh,” Dick says, handing the Neosporin to Bruce and watching in rapt attention as Bruce begins to tend to Tim’s knee, Tim protesting quietly that he wasn’t a baby, he could do it himself, but to no reply.

It’s quiet for a second before Bruce puts the Neosporin on Tim’s knee, Tim hissing through his teeth at the sting. Dick jumps up, stomping his foot and making a strangled, angry sound in the back of his throat.

“You said it will _help_ Tim!” Dick yells before Bruce can ask what’s wrong, his fists landing on his hips. “It _hurt_ him!”

“No, Dickie, no!” Tim says, Dick’s head snapping to him in the creepily fast way it did whenever he was on edge. “That’s just… Just…” Tim looks at Bruce, looking confused. “Why _does_ Neosporin hurt?" 

“Alfred always told me that it was killing the bacteria,” Bruce says, Dick squinting suspiciously at him but sitting beside him again, listening closely. “Besides, you’re putting something on broken skin, so…”

“True, true,” Tim agrees, looking back at Dick and smiling at him, trying to make him relaxed again. “See? B wasn’t hurting me.” 

“Mm,” is all Dick says, crossing his arms suspiciously but still watching as Bruce finishes putting Neosporin on the scrape, placing a Band-Aid on it.

“All better,” Bruce says automatically, regretting it as soon as he hears Tim scoff, leaning back in the chair and picking his book up again. 

“Thanks,” He says, opening to the page he was at and starting to read as Bruce stands up, Dick seating himself closer to Tim’s knee and leaning against it again. “Where’s Cass?” 

“Last I checked, reading in her room.”

“Can you maybe ask her to come in here? I don’t want Dick being bored out of his mind and ripping up my book,” Tim nudges Dick, Dick stretching his mouth out into his best attempt at a smile.

“Sure, Tim,” Bruce starts to walk out of the room, and he’s either hearing things or he hears a quiet ‘Thank you’ coming from Tim before he leaves.

\---

He finds Cass where he had found her two hours ago- reading Edgar Allan Poe poems in her room. Her book is open in her lap, and her laptop is open to a new tab in Google while the rest of her bed is covered in papers. She’s clicking her pen by pressing it on the book, and her pink pajama bottoms are covered in small pieces of paper. 

“How many people died?” Bruce asks, Cass looking up from her book and laughing through her nose.

“Too many,” She says, making Bruce laugh. “What does ‘ _In pace requiscat’_ mean?”

“Rest in peace,” Bruce answers, Cass writing something on a page of paper. “Though that’s an odd way of phrasing it- it’s usually ‘ _Requiscat in pace_ ,’ right?" 

“Poe wrote it like that,” Cass says, flipping the pages in her book then reading, “‘ _Against the new masonry I re-erected the old rampart of bones. For the half of a century no mortal has disturbed them. In pace requiescat!_ ’”

“Odd,” Bruce says, Cass shrugging and flipping the pages back to her original spot. “Well, Tim is-”

“Tim is a snot,” Cass finishes for him. “He keeps on stealing my books- I can’t find my copy of _Pride And Prejudice,_ and I’ve been looking all day for it!”

“Are you sure it’s Tim?” Bruce asks, raking his brain to try and remember if he had seen any new books in Tim’s room.

“Pretty sure,” Cass says, closing her laptop and stretching. “Dick loves me too much, Damian doesn’t seem to be like that, and Jason-” She pauses, trying to find the right words. “I’m not sure if Jason…”

“Jason’s not the magpie type, I don’t think,” Bruce says, Cass snapping her fingers and pointing finger guns in Bruce’s direction. “Still, I’ll ask- Jason’s been surprising us lately, right?”

“Right,” Cass agrees, picking up her computer and holding it in her lap, keeping it closed. “Why does Tim want me?”

“He’s afraid Dick’s going to rip up his book,” Bruce tells her, Cass rolling her eyes but smiling. 

“Meanie,” She says, getting off of her bed, still carrying her laptop. “Dick really loves music,” She explains, snatching some headphones off of her bedside table before following Bruce out of the door and into the hallway. “I think I’ll look up some musicals for him- are there any you like?” 

“Well…” Bruce says, thinking as he walks down the hall. He wasn’t the musical type- sure, there were songs he enjoyed from certain shows, but he could never find himself fully invested in a specific show in particular. “There’s one song- ‘Seize The Day,’ I think?” 

“ _Newsies_?” Cass asks. “I’ve actually been trying to get myself to listen to that- this’ll be a perfect time to do it!”

They got to the living room, Dick perking up when his eyes landed on Cass. Cass sat beside him, Dick taking the headphones out of her hands excitedly and putting them over his ears, rocking happily on the floor as Cass looks up what Bruce assumed to be _Newsies_. Damian, who had slipped Bruce’s mind, ducks under Bruce’s arm, sitting beside Cass on the couch and suddenly gaining a happy Dick clinging to his leg.

“I’ll go find Jason,” Bruce says to no one, leaving the room quickly when no one seemed to hear what he said. From what he could see from other Jasons from other timelines, they all seemed to like music- there was even a Jason that was performing in some Broadway musical in one dimension. Perhaps Jason could graduate from total silence to, at the most, soft music? 

Bruce found Jason rather easily- he was sitting down in the BatCave, picking at a musty blanket that must have not seen the light of day or a washing machine for at least ten years. He was wearing the noise-cancelling cowl- despite Jason having woken up about five times now and gotten absolutely pissed at Bruce during two of his awake periods, not to mention that he was an adult now, Bruce couldn’t help but still think that Jason looked absolutely adorable in the cowl.

“Hey, Jason,” Bruce says, then remembering that the noise-cancelling cowl does, in fact, cancel noise. He taps Jason on the shoulder, and smiles at him when he looks up. He tries not to feel hurt when Jason looks at him with vague disgust before he turns back to the blanket, picking at what used to be a blue flower. “Um… do you want to go be with Cass and Tim and Dick? They’re all in the living room- Tim’s reading, but Dick and Cass are listening to music, so…”

Bruce cringes at his phrasing for the second time that day, but mentally celebrates when Jason makes a soft sigh through his nose, pushing the blanket off of his lap and standing, walking to the exit of the BatCave. Bruce considers picking the blanket up and bringing it upstairs, but then just leaves it when he notices how dirty the front of Jason’s jeans are.

\---

Bruce, after making sure Jason got to the living room alright and nearly tripping over Jason’s cat, wandered around the house, weighing the morals of scavenging his four sons rooms. On one hand- Cass wanted her book. If Bruce had found it, she would be happy and thank him, something that made Bruce feel more like a dad than a glorified older brother. 

On the other hand- Tim, Jason, Damian, and Dick would be _ticked._ He didn’t want to anger Jason any more; Tim and Dick, despite their massive recoveries, both had destructive tempers that usually resulted in massive migraines and, in Dick’s case, some cat-like bites and scratches on either Bruce’s, Alfred’s, or even Cass’s arms. Damian was still an oddity in the household- but from what Bruce could see from other Damian’s in other universes, he was a devil when he was wronged. 

Alfred brings up a both genius and dumb idea when he asks him what to do- simply ask if any of them if they had seen Cass’s book. It seemed like a good idea until Bruce brought up that Tim liked being difficult with him, Dick would refuse to tell him at best and have a panic attack at worst, Damian was still suspicious of them all, and Jason was already mad at Bruce- why would he want to tell him anything? 

Alfred then suggested having Cass ask the boys, but from what Bruce had read and heard from others, little brothers liked giving their big sisters a hard time, no matter how much they loved each other. 

Alfred ends the discussion by telling Bruce to just ask the damn children, which Bruce runs off to do at the tone of Alfred’s voice.

 Bruce walks into the room again, Damian and Dick’s heads raising toward him in sync. Jason was petting his cat, and Dick’s hand was raised over the cat’s head, about to pet it. Tim was still reading, and Cass had her headphones in, staring intently at her computer. Dick tugs on her pajamas, causing her to look up and take her headphones off. Tim looks up with his own time, and Bruce doesn’t wait for Jason to take his attention off his cat before he starts talking. 

“Have any of you seen one of Cass’s books?” Bruce asks, Dick tilting his head curiously. “It says _Pride And Prejudice_ on it, it may have a boy and girl on the front…?”

 “Oh,” Damian says, sitting up more to talk. “I thought it was one of Alfred’s. It’s in my room, on my bed.”

  _Well_ , Bruce thinks. _That was surprisingly easy._

“Sorry,” Damian adds, though it’s more directed at Cass. “I had seen it before, and I thought…” 

“It’s fine,” Cass says quickly, patting him gently on the shoulder. “I just thought Tim had taken it.” 

“Huh?” Tim asks, looking confused. “What are we talking about?” 

It’s then made clear that Tim had kept on reading through the whole exchange, and had only looked up to see who had walked into the room. Cass is teasing Tim as Damian leads Bruce to where his room is, Dick following closely behind.

\---

“Um… sir?” Bruce hears, about a week later. He turns around in his chair, noticing Damian standing in the doorway, standing still but his hands fidgeting.

“You don’t need to call me ‘sir,’ Damian,” Bruce says, turning back to his work. “You may call me Bruce.” 

“Okay… Bruce,” Damian says awkwardly. “Well, Grayson was, uh, listening to Cain reading, but he started making this weird growling noise…” 

“He what?” Bruce asks, spinning around in his chair and standing, Damian jumping at the sudden movement. “Sorry, Damian. What was he doing?” 

“Just growling,” Damian says, walking out of the doorway and following Bruce, who was walking quickly to Cass’s room, where he had seen the three together. “He wasn’t about to attack, he was just- yeah.” 

“What was Cass reading?”

“ _The Secret Garden,_ ” Damian says, jogging beside Bruce. “Has he done that before?”

 “No- that’s why it’s strange,” Bruce says, Damian making a weird ‘tuh’ noise through his teeth. They got to Cass’s room- Bruce opened the door to Dick laying on Cass’s lap, one of her hands carding softly through his hair while the other flipped the pages of the book.

“Cassandra?” Bruce asks, Cass looking up and waving them over, her finger then touching her lips to signal them to be quiet.

 “He’s purring,” She says once they get there, and Bruce hears a low grumble coming from Dick- his mouth is slightly open, and his eyes are closed. “I didn’t know people _could_ purr.”

 “Well, he’s not a person, really,” Damian says loudly, closing his mouth quickly once Dick shifts slightly. “Sorry.”

“I’ve never heard him _purr,”_ Bruce says, listening to the low growl coming out of his youngest son. “Have you?”

Cass shakes her head, and she looks down at Dick again, her eyes softening.

“Maybe this means he trusts me,” She therorizes. 

“Then why would he do it around _me?”_ Damian asks, his voice lower than the first time he spoke. “I’ve only been here for a week.”  

“He felt safe,” Cass says, Bruce feeling himself agreeing with her. “Now that I think about it, I think I once heard him purring around Tim- but it was really quiet. I don’t think Tim heard it.”

 “Ah,” Bruce says, feeling slightly bitter when he realizes that Dick had never purred around him. He then pushes down the bitterness, finding a new want to get closer to Dick, even if it was out of a selfish want to hear him purr around him. “Well, I’ll just leave you three alone, if that’s-?”

“He’s awake,” Damian points out, Bruce noticing that yes, Dick is looking at him. The purring stopped, but Dick sits up, holding his arms out in a request for Bruce to pick him up. Bruce does, and Dick wraps his legs around Bruce’s waist to steady himself.

“Hungry,” Dick says lowly, and Cass waves Bruce away to get Dick a snack.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you enjoyed! Please leave a kudos and/or a comment!


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